One mom's attempt at finding good in every day of this chaotic world.

Baby To Big Boy January 11, 2011

My baby boy is gone. In his place, I have a big boy who continues to grow up in so many ways right in front of my eyes. In just a week, so much has changed. Here are the top 5 ways he has changed.

1. He officially turned 3. His birthday was last Tuesday, and that meant he would move to the 3-year-old classroom at his daycare. The transition has been happening for the past month, but he now officially has a cubby and a sign-in sheet. I am so excited for this change for him. With Ms. Rosa as his teacher, I know he will have more structure in his day and more opportunity to learn new things. Thankfully he knew Ms. Rosa already because she was Mason’s teacher originally, and I believe that has helped his transition.

2. He is potty trained. Ok, I don’t want to jinx this with such a grand statement, but the potty training is going well as of this past weekend. Two weekends ago, we decided it was time to just go cold turkey because we had told him they don’t make diapers for 3-year-olds. And he kept telling us he wanted to give his diapers to baby Hayes. Since we knew we were house-bound for a couple of days, we decided to go for it. The first week was a little rough, and he had several accidents. He never told us when he needed to go – we would just get lucky by taking him to the bathroom every hour or so. And even with that, he never went #2 on the potty. Last Friday, I was very discouraged because he had three accidents at school, and when I picked him up, he was wearing some other boy’s bright red capri pants two sizes too small because he had run through all of the extra clothes I had sent with him. Well, it must have been a wake-up call for him because Saturday morning he just started telling us when he had to go. And then he went #2 on the potty! Twice!! He had no accidents over the weekend, and I am so proud of him. I can tell he is proud of himself too. It’s amazing how it call just clicked. The school thing is still getting worked out since he keeps telling his teacher he wants to go pee pee at home, but we’re getting there.

3. He gave “dog” away. This is not something that happened in the last week, but it is still a sign that my baby has disappeared. Ever since he was born, Cooper has had a blue dog blanket “thing” (I never know what to call it!) that he slept with. After three years of sleeping with this thing, you can imagine how much “love” it got. He chewed on the ears, sucked on his nose, wiped his snot with it… Of course, I would wash it, but still it was getting old. Jeremy hated the dog. I, on the other hand, loved it. I loved smelling it because it always smelled like Cooper. It was just “him.” I was not pushing him to get rid of it, and actually Jeremy wasn’t really either. But when we were in Raleigh back in December, Cooper just went to his bed, brought out dog and gave it to Hayes. He said he didn’t need it anymore, and that baby Hayes could use it. Well, at the moment, you can only imagine the tears that welled up in my eyes. If any of you have read the Knuffle Bunny series, you would understand. I can’t even explain it. Just go to your nearest book store and read all three Knuffle Bunny books. It will only take about 10 minutes. If you don’t cry or even get a little chill by the end of the third book, I will be shocked! Needless to say, we did not let Hayes keep dog. Jeremy and I confiscated him and brought him home to wash and save in Cooper’s Memory Box.

4. He no longer likes kisses. I know this is just a phase, or at least I hope it is, but it breaks my heart. This past weekend, Cooper exclaimed to everyone, “I don’t like kisses anymore.” That’s it. He will not give me any more kisses and doesn’t want us to kiss him. He also said no more hugs, but I think I’ve talked him back from that one. I couldn’t live without my Cooper hugs. For now, I’m dealing with the no kisses thing. He’s a boy. I know it will go back and forth – kisses, no kisses, kisses, no kisses… I just hope it comes back to kisses soon.

5. He is a social butterfly. This is a new one for us. Mason is very shy with other people. Even with people she has known for a long time, like her daycare teachers or family friends, she does not talk easily. It takes a bit to get warmed up. Cooper was heading down the same path until just the last few weeks when he has turned into a little talker. He talks to the doctors, the grocery store clerks, the daycare parents, waiters, whoever! It’s amazing to watch him interact, and I love seeing this side of him.

There are some good changes as he turns into this little boy, but I’m sad about letting go of him as my baby and all that comes with it. He will keep growing up, I know, but I will treasure my “baby” moments with him forever.

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One Response to “Baby To Big Boy”

It was a great day and wonderful way to celebrate Cooper’s third! I’m saddened, too, that he doesn’t want any more kisses. That’s really big boy stuff…at least until he hits his late teens. He such an amazing kid and it is such a joy to watch him grow up…as it is with Mason. Two great kids! What a joy, a blessing! Love, meema